Length Of Journey
by hydref05
Summary: Does the length of journey your heart makes really provide any clue? All it really proves is love never moves when it's right here under your roof. JD romance
1. Chapter 1

**Length Of Journey  
Part One -- Intro.**

It's new years eve and Sam's noticed something different about Josh and Donna.

Title taken from the lyrics of the Beautiful South song, Get Here ...  
_Does the length of journey your heart makes  
Really provide any proof?  
All it proves is love never moves  
When it's right there under your roof.  
My heart is in the right place,  
Then what's the point of making that trip?  
Stay right here with your hand on your heart,  
See how often you cause it to skip.  
__(Paul Heaton)

* * *

_

**New Years Eve 2003/2004**

"Happy new year," Josh whispered. He placed his arm around Donna's shoulders and pulled her close as the firework display began. They were on the roof of his building, surrounded by people and yet there could have been just the two of them.

Sam glanced away from the fireworks to look at his friends. He saw Josh pull Donna closer to him. Saw as she pointed at one of the displays, but Josh just watched her. Not that Sam hadn't seen them like that before, it was just that this time there was something more. Or maybe it was just that he didn't see them as much as he used to.

Once the fireworks were finished and they'd all returned to Josh's first floor apartment for alcohol and food, Sam cornered Josh in the kitchen.

"So, what's the deal with you and Donna?"

"I don't know, what's the deal?"

"You seem closer than before, if that's possible."

"Yeah," Josh agreed.

"Yeah?" Sam echoed. "Yeah as in... Really? You and Donna?" he asked excitedly, his voice rising with each word.

"You want to keep it down?" Josh instructed. "No one knows."

Sam looked back toward the living room, but no-one was paying them any attention. "How long?"

"A month, a bit longer maybe. It kind of started after the shutdown, at the shutdown party..."

"Kind of?"

"We kissed but then nothing happened," Josh confided.

"You kissed?" Sam asked.

"Yes, but then it was weird. Not the kiss, but after and before."

"Start at the beginning."

Josh glanced into the living room, but everyone was sitting around, talking and drinking and paying them no attention, so he began the story. "It'd been a very strange day. We'd gone from defeat to victory with a large helping of confusion and idiocy thrown in between."

"Idiocy?" Sam asked.

"Going to the Hill to see Haffley. Any other time I'd have agreed with the others that it was a really dumb idea that could so easily have backfired."

"But it didn't, and it was a brave decision."

"I only suggested it 'cos I had nothing left to loose. Leo had shut me out of everything, so why not take a chance. Luckily it paid off. Not that Leo was too impressed. Anyway, Donna dragged me to the shutdown party. We danced and played pool, we ended up kissing," Josh smiled. "But then it just got confusing."

Part Two, First Kiss -


	2. First Kiss

**Length Of Journey  
Part Two -- First Kiss**

Josh is confused by a kiss after the shutdown party  
Josh, Donna (J/D), Charlie  
Spoilers up to season 5, Shutdown.

* * *

**Two Months Earlier -- November 2003**

The shutdown party at The Hawk & Dove was starting to wind down and people were leaving, some called goodnight to Josh and Donna as they passed by, but they didn't seem to hear. They were standing in a shocked silence, studying each other, each trying to work out what the other was thinking, what the other wanted to happen next. The kiss had been spontaneous, unexpected. They were both still on a high after the days events. It had just been a quick kiss, had started as a friendly peck but had become something more, much more. And now neither of them knew what happened next.

Donna broke the silence. "That's my cab, I should probably ..."

Josh nodded and let go of her hand. Until that moment he hadn't realized he'd still been holding it. The voices inside him were all crying out, 'don't go, stay with me,' but he pushed them back down and watched Donna walk to the waiting cab. When she reached the door he finally found his voice. "Donna."

Donna turned expectantly, but unsure what it was she was expecting. "Yeah?" she prompted.

"I... I'll see you tomorrow," he replied, while his inner voices called him names that didn't bear repeating.

As the cab drove away, Donna sat quietly in her seat, not hearing the driver's questions, trying to work out what had just happened.

Josh waited until the cab turned a corner and disappeared from view, before he turned back to the bar and found Charlie standing in the doorway watching him with a small smile. "What?"

"Did I see you and her kissing?" Charlie asked

"Apparently."

"You okay?"

"I don't know."

"Go after her," Charlie advised.

"Just chase the cab down the street?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of, call another cab, but it running works for you..." Charlie grinned. "Go after her."

"I... I don't think it meant anything. It was just, I have no idea what it was."

"Okay. So, if you're not going after her, come back inside and have a beer."

Forty minutes later, Josh and Charlie were still in the now mostly deserted bar. They'd discussed the shutdown, Abbey's welcome return to Washington, Leo, Toby, the president. In fact they'd discussed every topic they could think of, apart from Donna.

"I don't know what's happening with me and Zoey," Charlie confided.

"I thought you and her were getting back on track?"

"We talk on the phone, we email and text, but I don't want to push her. The trouble is, I don't know what she wants. I don't know how she feels, if she wants me to just be her friend or if she wants something more, you know?"

"Unfortunately I do," Josh agreed.

"I'm pathetic."

"Yep," Josh nodded. "It's like looking in a mirror."

Charlie finished his drink and sighed. "You think there's any hope for us?"

"You and Zoey?"

"Me and you."

"Not if don't stop pissing around and do something. Otherwise we're going to end two sad, lonely old men sitting on a park bench ruing the chances we missed." Josh smiled at the look Charlie was giving him. "You understand I'm very drunk, right?"

"I understand that you're a little scary and maybe it's time to get you home."

"You know I'm right though," Josh said as he stood up and followed Charlie out of the bar.

"I do," Charlie agreed.

Part Three, Military Dress Saber (coming soon)


	3. Military Dress Saber

**Length Of Journey**  
Josh isn't happy to learn that Jack Reece is back in town.  
Josh, Donna, Charlie, Sam, Toby, CJ, Leo ...  
Spoilers to season 5, Shutdown.

* * *

**Part Three - Military Dress Saber**

**24 November 2003**

Josh was only half listening to Donna while he replied to an email from Danny. She had been talking about Bonny, Margaret and fruit loaf, now she'd jumped subjects to someone called Jack ... Wait, did she just say Jack? Josh stopped typing and turned to look at Donna. "Did you just say Jack?"

"Yes, glad to finally have your attention."

"He called you?"

"Yes."

"Jack Reece?"

"Yes, Josh. Jack Reece called me. He's home on leave, he wants to meet up for a drink."

"And you of course told him to go boil his head after first impaling himself on his military dress saber?"

"No, I agreed."

"Donna!"

"What? He's been away from almost a year, it'll be nice to catch up."

"Nice? He almost got you fired."

"Josh, don't start ..."

"Donna! He gave the quote and left you to take the blame, so I think I'm justified in starting."

"He didn't know it'd be that bad for me."

"He knew exactly what was going to happen, he's an intelligent man. You understand I'm using the term _man_ very loosely."

"Josh," Donna sighed. "I'm still going to meet him. You on the other hand are going to be late for your Cheese Day meeting."

"And my day gets better and better!"

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"Wasn't Cheese Day supposed to be a first of the month thing?" CJ asked.

"How would that make it any better?" Toby asked.

"I'm just saying."

"It's a complete waste of time," Toby added.

"I'll say," Josh agreed. "Like anything's going to come of it anyway."

"Nothing usually does," Toby said. "Apart from CJ's obsession with vending machine deaths."

"All I said ..." CJ began.

"I mean, he has to be the champion of all gomers," Josh interrupted.

CJ and Toby looked at each other. "You go," Toby told her.

"Josh, I really hope you're not calling Leo a gomer."

"Jack," Josh replied

"Jack?"

"Reece. Lieutenant Commander Reece," Josh clarified.

CJ smiled. "Donna's sailor?"

"He isn't Donna's," Josh said. "But yes. He's in town. She's meeting him."

"Is she insane?" Toby asked. "I mean he ..."

"Yes, that's what I told her," Josh agreed.

"He is cute though," CJ added.

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"... the cheese was ..." Leo stopped talking and glared at his deputy "Josh," he said but got no response. "Josh!"

"Sorry," Josh replied as he dragged his thoughts away from plotting captain Jack's downfall and back to the meeting on ... ah yes, Cheese Day.

"He's a little distracted, Leo," CJ smiled. "Jack Reece is back in town."

"Not going to be an issue," Josh told her.

"Who's ... ?" Leo asked.

"Please don't," Toby implored.

"Lieutenant Commander Jack Reece," Josh clarified, "Nancy McNally's former aide."

"Donna's former boyfriend," CJ added.

"I told you, it's not going to be a problem," Josh assured her. He caught Leo's glare, "Sorry."

Leo gave Josh one final glare before starting the speech again. "Andrew Jackson in the foyer of his White House had a big block of cheese. The cheese ..."

"Leo," Josh interrupted. "Can we just get our assignments with the country's nuts and then go, 'cause I have, you know, real work to do."

"The sooner you shut the hell up, the sooner you can go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That afternoon, Josh sought out his fellow conspirator from the inauguration - Charlie. "I need advice," Josh sat on the edge of Charlie's desk. "Captain Marvel's back."

"Captain ... who?"

"Lieutenant Jack Reece. He of the 13 buttons and the military dress saber."

"Ah," Charlie nodded sympathetically. At the inauguration, it had been their bond - Donna had Jack, Zoey had Jean-Paul. "What's the problem?"

"He's back. Here. In Washington."

"Yeah I got that."

"Donna's meeting him," Josh clarified.

"Ah," Charlie nodded again.

"So I need a plan."

"Yeah. You know what the best plan would be?"

"Get him posted to ice patrols in Antarctica?" Josh suggested.

"Do we have Naval ice patrols in Antarctica?"

"How the hell would I know?" Josh sighed.

Charlie smiled. "You know how to stop her seeing Jack, in fact how to stop her seeing anyone else?"

"I'm all ears."

"Ask her on a date, tell her how you feel."

Josh stared at Charlie. "That's your plan?"

"Yes."

"That's a terrible plan."

"It the only one I've got."

"I'm calling Sam, see if he has a better plan."

"There is no better plan," Charlie assured him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That evening, Josh explained the situation to Sam who just shook his head and smiled. "How long is this going to go on for?"

"Jack and Donna? Not long if I have anything ... "

"Donna going on dates and you trying to scupper her plans," Sam interrupted.

"I don't ..."

"Every time."

"I was the one who originally set her up with Reece," Josh pointed out.

"Umm."

"Umm?"

"That _was_ strange," Sam agreed.

"No it wasn't. She liked him, he liked her and why wouldn't he, she's a very attractive woman."

Sam was openly grinning now.

"What's the grin for?"

"Your voice always get really high pitched whenever we're having this discussion."

"Whatever. I need a plan."

"You do," Sam agreed. "So my advice would be; ask her on a date."

Josh frowned. "Have you been talking to Charlie?"

"Yes and he's right. It's been over five years, Josh. Just tell her."

"No."

"At least you've stopped protesting that there's nothing to tell," Sam smiled as he picked up his bag. "I have a flight to catch."

"What if she says no?"

"At least you'll know."

"And how would that help?"

Sam shrugged. "I have a constituency to get back to." He looked at his friend and grinned. "It's time, Josh. Let me know how the date goes."

Part 4, The Plan (coming soon)


End file.
